The Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed the detention of one Zainab Sodiq over alleged violations of regulations governing the acquisition and operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, in Nigeria.
According to a statement issued yesterday by the deputy director, Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Favour Dozie, Sodiq, was arrested on July 6 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, by operatives of the DSS and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC) while attempting to board a flight to Abuja with a drone.
The Service said she was unable to produce an End User Certificate (EUC), a mandatory document required under extant regulations issued by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) that restricts the acquisition and use of drones in Nigeria.
But Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress presidential candidate and the Take It Back Movement, accused the DSS of unlawfully detaining the journalist and demanded her immediate release.
Sowore, who rejected the DSS’s account, said Sodiq was targeted because of her association with him and not because of the drone.
In a statement he shared yesterday, Sowore alleged that the DJI Mavic Air drone cited by the DSS belonged to him and had been used for media coverage of elections and other public events.
The DSS, however, stated that, upon questioning, Sodiq admitted she did not possess the required documentation for the UAV.
The statement also noted that, despite the alleged infraction, the suspect was allowed to continue her journey to Abuja due to a prior engagement but was directed to report to the DSS National Headquarters on Wednesday for the continuation of investigations.
The agency disclosed that Sodiq is currently being detained at its National Headquarters in Abuja while investigations continue.
It explained that the action was in line with existing regulations empowering the Service to impound and sanction individuals or corporate entities operating Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), also known as drones, without the necessary authorisation.
It noted that the enforcement of the regulations is driven by growing domestic and global security concerns associated with drone operations, including threats to public safety and potential privacy breaches.
According to him, “The DJI Mavic Air drone in question belongs personally to me. When DSS personnel at the Murtala Muhammed Airport domestic terminal seized it from Zainab on Monday on her way to Abuja, I personally spoke with their personnel in Lagos.
“I explained that the drone was mine, that Zainab was a journalist covering my activities, and that it was a commercial media drone I had used to cover elections and other public events.”
Sowore further alleged that the seizure of the drone was only a pretext, claiming the real objective was to prevent Sodiq from delivering his international passport to Abuja to enable him to perfect the bail recently granted to him by a Federal High Court.
He stated that the journalist was carrying his passport because it was required to be deposited in court as part of the bail conditions imposed by Justice M.G. Umar.
He added that “The real objective was to prevent Zainab from reaching Abuja with my international passport, frustrate the perfection of my bail, and create an excuse to send me back to the overcrowded Kuje Prison.”
